One of the salient features that marks the twenty-first century is that we are living in a post-trust culture. This means that our ability to trust institutions, governments, politicians, economies, and churches is rapidly coming to an end. Furthermore, the Christian faith in the West seems to be losing its traction, coherence, and credibility. The principles of marketing and consumerism in many churches are replacing the deep spiritual realities of truth, unity, and love, which are so essential in a world lost in propaganda and fraud. It seems to me, therefore, that this is a defining moment in history, and that lots of changes are emerging, including the disappearance of churches. Perhaps, that’s just as well since the current revision of theology now taking place is bound to make many more of them irrelevant, as they are unable to adapt to credible new directions and perspectives that could possibly rekindle trust.
Thursday, February 28, 2019
Wednesday, February 27, 2019
Living Spiritual Rhythms - February 27
Someone once quipped, ‘the information in the biblical text about God is true.’ Yet, I’d wager since this information has to be interpreted and is done so in a multiplicity of ways, I guess this person ends up, nonetheless unwittingly, saying that there is a whole range of truths about God in the Bible. Thus, not only is there diversity in contrast to a single view, but in order to sort through this notion of information about truths and God in a text, we’re going to need to interact with other informers, such as science, philosophy, culture, and social development, outside of it. And as we do so, there will be no across the board hierarchies, but a suite of viable and entangled authorities in dialogue, and which is primary will depend on what we’re talking about.
Thursday, February 21, 2019
Thursday Thoughts - February 21
We’re hard pressed to paint a definitive picture of God, but instead of being disappointed about this, we should embrace the privilege of unknowing. In this case, there just might be a need to exchange idealism for realism – a hermeneutical realism, when it comes to knowing God. Not only does God have numerous names, but God is also referred to in a multitude of ways in the biblical text. There’s a real diversity of theological representations here that don’t settle into a nice comfortable package. Debate then as to who God is happens in the text itself. Further, as we explore the natural world, we continue to be amazed by its seemingly unending magnitude and its delicate fragility. This raises plenty of theological possibilities, leaving us in a position of having to wait and see. Thus, whether we delve into the biblical text or plumb the depths of nature, I’d wager God is indeed a mysterious character.
Wednesday, February 20, 2019
Living Spiritual Rhythms - February 20
Imagination is a fascinating topic of interest and debate today. The deeply significant issues of the real and the unreal have never been as evident as in our own cultural context. Discerning between fact and fantasy, or objectivity and subjectivity in our post-modern setting, means we have to deal with a new blurring of categories, which may threaten older precision crafted paradigms and previously settled ways of thinking. So be it. Engaging the challenges of post-modern thought, for better or worse, calls for a reassessment of our imaginative understanding of God, ourselves, and the world. That which has been previously assumed to be real or unreal may turn out not to be.
Monday, February 18, 2019
Reflection for the Week - February 18
Desire is a pre-given part of who I am. Its expression can be constructive or destructive, but this does not explain its existence. I am not in control of desire, but merely something of its outcome, as it’s already there before I am conscious of it. If this is the case, it’s one more nail in the coffin of the prominent, but wayward proposal of being a self-authenticating self, which attempts to found itself as the final foundation of meaning and knowledge. A more accurate hermeneutics of self is one that takes into account the truth that I am a mediator of that which precedes me; that which is given, and that my accountability is connected to what I do with this, not to what I make it be in the first place.
Saturday, February 16, 2019
Monday, February 11, 2019
Reflection for the Week - February 11
Promising needs a referent beyond the promisor and promissee. It has to be anchored in someone or something that substantiates that “the promise” is worth keeping because it is “good” to do so. Promise, therefore, never escapes ethics. The “act” of promise cannot be reduced to itself.
Thursday, February 7, 2019
Thursday Thoughts - February 7
Many Christians assume that their biblical text interpretations are definitive because a Spirit led criteria signifies to them that there is no way of measuring if one interpretation is better than another. These same believers are strongly against relativism, but here they unwittingly embrace it. To embrace, in any form, what you critique is foolhardy and careless. Leave it to Christians to do what they say you shouldn’t.
Wednesday, February 6, 2019
Living Spiritual Rhythms - February 6
If the biblical text is claimed to be the unique source of explaining human nature, which it often is, I’d wager there’s a lot left out. Thus, consulting other informers, including science and the world, is an essential enterprise for a better understanding of who we are.
Tuesday, February 5, 2019
Monday, February 4, 2019
Reflection for the Week - February 4
